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Boulder Housing Partners to open city's first new affordable senior complex in 30 years

59-unit facility set to open on Moorhead Avenue early next year

By Alex Burness Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
02/13/2013 08:19:03 PM MST

Updated:
02/13/2013 08:19:34 PM MST

An artist s rendition of Boulder Housing Partners planned 59-unit affordable senior housing community at 4990 Moorhead Ave., which is slated to open early next year.
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Boulder Housing Partners Breaks
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Boulder Housing Partners broke ground Wednesday on the city's first new affordable senior housing community in more than 30 years.

The $8 million complex at 4990 Moorhead Ave. is slated to open early next year, offering housing only to those who are at least 62 years old and earn between about $25,000 and $44,000 annually. The three-story, 59-unit complex is designed to provide relief to many low- and middle-income seniors in Boulder, where there are currently only 12 two-bedroom apartments serving their demographic.

"It's a great day," said Elisabeth Borden, Boulder County's former manager of aging services. "There are a lot of people that can't afford to stay here. It's really nice to have an option for them."

Though Borden and other advocates for affordable senior housing say the new complex will help address a growing need in Boulder, many at Wednesday's groundbreaking described it as a mere "dent." With nearly 10,000 Americans turning 65 everyday, the need for affordable senior housing is more pressing than ever.

"We understand that the demand for elderly housing is currently big and will only become much bigger," said Betsey Martens, executive director of Boulder Housing Partners. "There's an enormous demand for new apartments in this price range"

According to a recent report by Borden, who is now principal of Boulder research and marketing firm The Highland Group, local housing units for low-income seniors have both decreased in number and deteriorated in quality. Despite the city's growing elderly population, Boulder Housing Partners' new complex will be the first affordable senior housing built in Boulder since 1982.

"Our market hasn't delivered this product in 30-plus years, so it was long, long overdue," Martens said. "Most of the affordable senior housing inventory in Boulder is 30 to 40 years old, and most don't serve seniors earning 50 to 60 percent of area median income."

City Councilwoman Suzy Ageton said the city is interested in expanding its portfolio of affordable housing, with extra attention paid to aging local residents.

"Because of the baby boomers, this need is growing dramatically. We didn't see the product that was going to serve them," said Ageton, adding that, "we're going to have to come to terms what amount of affordable housing we're going to be able to sustain in this community."

While the Boulder Housing Partners complex is economically appealing, its amenities will also be state-of-the-art.

The community will be extremely energy efficient, with residents being able to track the building's energy use and solar generation through in-unit monitoring devices. They will also have access to a catering kitchen, Internet café, lounges, a variety of senior-oriented enrichment and fitness programs, and free local and regional bus passes to take advantage of local public transit and the nearby Table Mesa Park-n-Ride.

"The transit piece is really important," Borden said. "Increasingly, we're going to have huge proportions of people who are stuck and can't drive."

Boasting cheap rent and a wealth of amenities, Boulder Housing Partners' complex is seemingly a sign of hope for low- and middle-income Boulder residents, but Martens said the fight for affordable senior housing is far from over.

"Both for Boulder Housing Partners and City Council, it's all about assuring that Boulder remains an inclusionary community, and that people who have lived in Boulder their whole lives can live their older years here," she said. "We're celebrating these 59 (units) today, but there's more to come for sure."

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